Life-saving apparatus.



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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1911.

Patented m 30,1912.

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n. BREVETTI & c. FUGGI. LIFE SAVING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1911.

Patnted Jan. 30, 1912.

Z N Z '15 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DELIZZtO BREVETTI AND oAnLo swoon-or NEW lyonx, N. Y.

. LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 28, 1911. Serial No. 635,760.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, DnLizio Bnnvn'r'rr and CARLO Foooi, subjects of the King of Italy, residing at the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Im- 'ble, safe and reliable in operation and use.

In the drawings illustrating the principle ofthis invention and the best mode now known to us of applying that principle, Figure l is a perspective view of a building equipped with our new life saving apparatus; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the manner of use of the same; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the apparatus rolled up in small compass and protected when not in use; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper end of the chute; and Fig. 5 is a detail in section showing the'conmotion between the signal apparatus and the chute. I

' The building a is equipped with the usual fire-escape landings or platforms 6. To the wall of the building beneath an end of each of the landings there is fastened a pair of brackets 0 upon the outer .ends of the arms or rails d of which are mounted the trolleys 6. These outerends are protected by inverted U-sh'aped weather shields or. guards f which exclude the snow. and dirt and prevent the formation of ice, whereby these outer ends are kept clear for the free running thereon of the trolleys e. The edge of the open upperend of the chute g is provided with eyes or rings hone pair ofwhlch is looped over the hooks i fastened to the wall of the building and the other pair of which is engaged with the rails (I about midway thereof. The front or outer edge portion of the-chute is collapsible and is fastened to the lower ends of the trolleys 6.

hen the; latter arepushed outwardly againstthe stop-lugs d on the ends of the arms or rails d, as is shown in dotted lines in'Fig. 4, the upper end of the chute is thereby thrown fully open to receive a person attempting to escape from the building by sliding into the chute. To the lower ends of the trolleys 6 there is fastened also'the upper end ofthe rope ladder j. \Vithin the chute g and at suitable intervals along its 'length there are fastened in any suitable manner arresters Z: which are made of flexi ble elastic material and resemble somewhat in form an inverted frustum of a cone. Upon the outside and near the lower end of i the lowermost of these arreste-rs is there is fastened a contact-button m and on the inner wall of the chute and atthe lower end thereof opposite the button m there is fastened another contact-button m. To each of these contact-buttons is electrically c011- Patented Jan. 30, 1912.

nected the lower end of one of the lead-wires n of a suitable signal apparatus, as an electric bell .0. As the body of a person slips down through and out of the chute, it

stretches the wall of the lowermost arrester and thereby presses thev contact-buttons :m, m into electrical contact, whereby the .cir-

cnit through the electrical signal apparatus is closed and a warning is given to the persons waiting on. the landing above that the next person may with safety slide into the chute.. I

i To the lower end of the chute is fastened one'end of a strap p the other end of which is free and is of insulating material. \Vhen the chute is rolled up as shownin Fig. 3, the

insulating free end of the strap ;0 is forcedperson through and out of the chute will throw the strap: to the position shown in Fig. 2 and will thereby make operative the electrical signal apparatus. 7

To the wall of the building there is fastened a strap q one end'of which is provided with a series of holes {and the other end of. which is provided with a buckle g.

WVhen the chute is rolled up as shownin Fig. 3, the strap g serves to-hold it in position. In order to protect the chute from the elements, vertical side plates '7' are fastened to the arms or rails 03 of the brackets 0 and to the bottomv of one'ot the end railings b of the landings or platforms b there is hinged a door 8 which coversthe' chute during the time it is not in use. The end railing'b is provided with a suitable catch t which holds the door .9 open when the apparatus is in use. At intervals along its also a supporting wire o, the lower end of which is fastened to the lower end of the "chute and the upper end of which is fastened to an eye-pin w the shank of which is sunk into the wall of the building. The wire 0 will prevent the chute g from falling sidewise, in case it be burned or otherwise loosened from its support 0. However, the chute 9 will be made of material so treated as to make it as nearly incombustible as present methods can make it.

We claim:

' 1. A life-savingapparatus consisting of.

the combination witha wall; of a air of arms which project outwardly there rom; a

chute the upper end of which is collapsible; trolleys which travel on said arms and support the colla sible upper end of said chute; and shields or protecting from snow and ice the portions of said arms traversed by said trolleys.

2. A life-saving apparatus having a chute provided with a yielding arrester near its lower end; an electrical signal which is arranged near the upper end of said chute and the circuit of which is controlled by said arrester; said arrester bein adapted to be pressed outwardly by the ody of a person to close the circuit of said signal.

3. A life-saving apparatus consisting of the combination with a wall; of a pair of arms which project outwardly therefrom; a chute the upper end of which is collapsible; trolleys which travel on the outer portions ,of said arms and support the collapsible upper end of said chute; and side lates fastened to the inner end portions 0 said arms for protecting said chute.

4. A life-saving apparatus consisting of the combination with a wall; of a fire-escape landing carried thereby; a pair of arms which project outwardly from said wall; a door which is hinged to said landing and which is arranged to cover the opening or interval between the inner portions of said arms; a chute the upper end of which is collapsible and which is covered by said door,

when said chute is not in use; and trolleys which travel on said'arms and support the collapsible upper end of said chute.

5. A life-saving apparatus having a chute provided near its lower end with an inner wall and an outer wall; an electrical signal which is arranged near the upper end of said chute and the circuit of which is controlled by said inner wall, which is pressed outwardly by the body of a person to close the circuit of said signal; and means for .maintaining the circuit of said signal interrupted; said means being interposed in the path of a person falling through said chute.

' Signed at New York city this 27th day of June, A. D. 1911, in the presence oft-he two undersigned witnesses.

DELIZIO BREVETTI. CARLO FUCOI.

Witnesses:

E. I; MCCARTHY, JAMES HAMILTON. 

